Humane Society of Raleigh County: KONG Toy Grant

Kongs were used for enrichment and mental stimulation of shelter dogs.

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Enrichment has been a great added resource for our pets. The mental stimulation has been priceless and helped to keep them more healthy and adoptable.

How many pets did this grant help?

More than 100. We sterilize the Kongs and use them for different dogs each day.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Cody, Kanin, Skippy, and Zack are all long-term residents at the Humane Society of Raleigh County, meaning they've been at the shelter for 2-3 years. All four have quirks that make adoption difficult. These quirks make them unique. All four needed stimulation to keep from going kennel crazy. The Kongs have done just that. They give these four dogs something to do besides stare out of their kennel door. Instead of barking, jumping, and acting out, all four dogs now have something that is a stress reliever. Mental stimulation can wear out a dog much more quickly than physical activity; therefore, working to extract treats and frozen peanut butter from a Kong makes life in a kennel not so horrible. The dogs now have something to look forward to, something they enjoy -- and that is a beautiful thing.